Could the former Rheem bowling center site — currently a patch of unused land — soon be home to townhouses and condos?

That’s the question Moraga’s Planning Commission will at least begin to answer tonight. Architect Galen Grant and property owners Mike and Jim Knuppe are proposing a 36-40 unit building for the parcel along Moraga Road, which they say could meet the housing needs for local workers as well as Saint Mary’s College students, faculty and staff.

Such a building likely would require a conditional use permit; the parcel is currently zoned for “office, personal service, institutional, recreational and commercial uses, including retail, wholesale and storage activities.”

You can find the staff report for the proposal here, and a conceptual sketch of the building here.

The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the Dance Room of the Hacienda de las Flores, 2100 Donald Drive.